


this side of paradise

by the wanderer (a_sentimental_man)



Series: Author’s Favorites [6]
Category: The Half of It (2020)
Genre: Background Relationships, Everything is Beautiful and Nothing Hurts, F/F, Friends to Lovers, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, ellie is a gay mess but aren't we all, yes i made paul bi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-28
Updated: 2020-05-28
Packaged: 2021-03-02 20:34:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,105
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24422851
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/a_sentimental_man/pseuds/the%20wanderer
Summary: "See you in a couple of years" didn't mean the same thing when it's actuallybeena couple of years.Or;Aster and Ellie reunite two years later.
Relationships: Ellie Chu/Aster Flores
Series: Author’s Favorites [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1788709
Comments: 19
Kudos: 222





	this side of paradise

**Author's Note:**

> ahhh!!! i watched the half of it and had been obsessed with it ever since. lesbians!! anyways, i hope you enjoyed reading this as much as i enjoyed writing it!!  
> also.. if you haven't listened to tiny dancer by elton john and piano man by billy joel, i really suggest you do, preferably while reading this :D

The train edged into the station with a sharp _creak_ , making Ellie jolt up from where she was sleeping, head arranged at enough of an odd angle for her to know that it would end up only giving her neck pain. _Home sweet home,_ she thought wirily to herself, not able to keep lying to herself enough to know that she was excited to meet everyone - her dad, Paul, Aster. 

_Aster._ who she hasn't talked to in two years. 

Aster, who she still thought about daily. 

Despite everything else, Ellie's never been able to find anyone who just _got_ her as much as she did. Paul is the only exception - but he didn't count. 

She grinned as she hauled her suitcase out of the train and saw the smiling faces of paul and her father awaiting her - Paul, nerdy and supportive as always. Her dad, who had taken one look at her when she said she would study philosophy, had chuckled and said: _"you remind me so much of your mother, sometimes,"_ in that soft, quiet tone he used every time he said something important, something special cradled in his hands. 

She refused to acknowledge the tears that escaped her eyes as she saw Paul, who automatically enveloped her in a hug. “Get _off me,_ you oaf,” Ellie muttered, with little heat, trying to push him away _knowing_ that he was smothering a smile behind her back. 

Her father watched them both, something amused and gentle behind his eyes. Ellie hugged him next, smiling as he kissed the top of her head as she let go of the hug. She'd _missed_ this - Squamish, for all its faults, contained two of her favorite people in it. 

"I told Aster you're coming, by the way," Paul added, as they both collapsed in Ellie's bed, later - Ellie, exhausted after her day's travels, and Paul who was just… Paul. Ellie sat up from her bed, a look of outrage on her face. "You fucking _didn't._ "

"Of course I did," Paul laughed. "Aster would have killed me otherwise, you know that, right?" Paul and Aster, to nobody's surprise, had become excellent friends after the whole awkwardness of "Paul-trying-to-be-philosophical" had faded. Ellie would have been jealous, except for how Paul kept teasing her about how _oh, Aster always keeps asking about you, you know,_ that he never failed to mention every time they FaceTimed. Ellie _wished_ she could say that had stopped influencing her after almost three years. 

" _Fine,_ " she said, trying to calm herself down. Looking at Paul's raised eyebrows and a shit-eating grin, it was _not_ working. 

Not that Ellie had been pining after Aster for over two years - she'd gone on a few dates, even had something she felt secure about until the girl had cheated on her and left her certain that she couldn't trust anyone for _months._ It was just that - every time she looked at someone, she couldn't help but compare them to _Aster,_ as cliche as that sounded. Aster, who would have understood her offhand references about _bold strokes,_ who would have understood what she meant when she said your _other half._

She'd missed Aster. But - it still hadn't been time for them to sort themselves out, not yet. Or that's what Ellie kept saying to herself, after trails of assignments she knew Aster would have been more than happy to discuss with her about, and more trails of girlfriends that told her there was something _missing_ between them, something that didn't really _click._

Ellie knew why, of course. She wasn't _delusional._

Aster had been the first girl - the first _person -_ she'd had any kind of romantic feelings for. Ellie had been half in love with her - and kissing her right before she went to catch her train, that had been the last straw, an endless string of what could have beens and would have beens that had left her wondering, even now. 

"You with me, Ellie?" Paul asked, his voice still amused. That was another thing Ellie liked about Paul - he never called her by her surname, even jokingly; she had gotten used to _choo-choo_ jokes from her peers all her life and hearing her best friend consciously not use it was very refreshing. 

"Of course I am," Ellie replied, though they both knew she was lying. The combination of her train ride and the excitement of the day, had left her feeling incredibly sleepy, and she felt it all crashing down on her at the same moment she heaved a massive yawn. Paul's eyes softened, running a hand through her hair and draping a blanket over her as he departed with a quick, _I'll be back tomorrow, okay?_

Ellie only murmured what seemed to be _okay_ in response. _Home sweet home,_ she thought sleepily, relaxing back into her bed, old and threadbare and seen too much teenage angst, but _hers,_ all the same.

* * *

"Nothing's really changed in Squahamish that much," Ellie mused the next day, her and Paul walking around the village in an impromptu tour that Paul had insisted on having, and Ellie hadn't had the heart to resist.

"Well…" Paul said, and something in his tone made her look at him keenly. "A new family moved here, actually. And one of them does shifts with me in the diner." 

" _Ooooh,"_ Ellie said, grinning when Paul's footsteps for faster, scarlet on his cheeks. "Guy, girl, or non-binary pal?" 

"Guy," Paul muttered, face between his hands, now. 

"No fucking _way,"_ Ellie said delightedly. "Does he like you back?" 

"I don't _know,"_ Paul sighed. He opened his mouth to continue when it snapped quickly shut at something in front of him. Ellie, who had been listening with rapt attention, raised an eyebrow and glanced in that direction. She paused as she saw a familiar figure hurry towards them, her dress swishing in the wind, grin blinding. For one wild, insane moment, Ellie thought about running away, but something held her back, something that seemed a lot like _hope._

"Hey Ellie Chu," Aster said, smiling. Ellie could do nothing except stare at her - her face painted by the bold strokes of an artist determined to not make a mistake - until Paul not-so-subtly nudged her in the ribs. "Hey, Aster Flores,"

“Can’t believe you came to Squahamish without telling me,” Aster said, her eyes glinting with humor despite her words. “ _Paul_ had to tell me.” 

“Hey!” Paul protested with little heat, looking all too glad to have his best friend and her love interest united. He was so earnest sometimes, it gave Ellie hives. Aster fell easily into step with them as they went around the town, Aster easily contributing to Paul’s animated commentary about what’s new. 

“Oh, did I forget to mention…” Aster teased as they rounded a corner to look at the diner, the familiar red-bricked building that contained _many_ memories of Ellie trying to make Paul’s dates be less disastrous. “Paul’s _working_ here. While staring at one waiter entirely too long, might I add.” 

Paul spluttered. “I don’t - I don’t _stare at him,”_ he protested, his words apparently sounding like a lie to his own ears because he stopped talking and glowered at them, instead. 

“You know, I think it’s his shift today,” Aster said casually. “Wanna go inside, Ellie?” 

“Fuck yeah,” Ellie agreed enthusiastically. Paul looked like he was on the verge of death. 

The diner had changed little since Ellie had been in Squahamish last. The same bell that rang as soon as they opened the door to get in, the same uniformly arranged tables that made her uncomfortable. Nothing much had changed, not really. 

There was a _reason_ she had wanted to leave Squahamish. One of them was because she couldn't handle the predictability of it; the feeling that she would go mad if the same thing happened to her every day; if the same thing happened to her every day of her life. 

Nothing much had changed, except for the lone waiter who looked like he was on the verge of falling asleep when taking an old man's order. His eyes lit up as they landed on Aster and Paul, who waved at him. He grinned back, giving a curious look to Ellie as he did. 

_Give me a moment,_ he mouthed at them as they took a seat at the booth near the window. It was a weekday; only a couple of customers were at the diner who seemed more interested in talking to each other than giving them orders, so "Paul's Mystery Waiter" as Ellie had dubbed him in her head, sauntered towards them with a smile in place. It took a moment for her to read the nametag and place him as _Jason._ He was best described as _lanky,_ nothing like Paul's athletic build. His tanned face had a mischievous air as if he laughed a lot and didn't care who saw him doing it. Ellie liked him almost immediately.

"And what will you have today?" Jason asked, and though he was talking to all of them, it was obvious that he was talking to Paul most of all. Ellie and Aster exchanged a sly glance and Ellie surprised herself by realizing how easy it felt to have this, to have _them_ , to finally feel as if something had slotted into her place between from when Aster had walked - ran - to her at the road and they had all gone into the diner. 

Paul silently looked at them for help. Aster, taking pity on him, said: "We were just dropping by, actually. Ellie wanted to see what's changed since she was away at College."

"Oh," Jason said, looking slightly disappointed. "So… you're leaving now, then?"

Ellis and Aster exchanged a look again. "I mean..." Ellie said, slowly. "We could stay. We have the entire summer, after all." This time, when she said it, she wasn't looking at Jason. 

She was looking at Aster, whose grey eyes had lighted up with a tenderness that Ellie couldn't help but reciprocate. 

_Glad to see her feelings for Aster hadn't changed at all_ , Ellie thought, looking away into the window where Paul's van waited. 

She smiled.

* * *

"Your friend is outside," her father said, three weeks later, interrupting Ellie's quality time gazing at the TV and pretending that any other world didn't exist. Ellie, Paul, and Aster had spent more time together this summer than they had before, from looking at their high school for all-time's sake to taking a walk around the nearby woods and almost getting lost as a result. Ellie and Aster had - well. They've interacted. They were still _friends,_ even though Ellie had thought she couldn't have anything even resembling that one time. 

It was just that they haven't talked about anything important, anything that mattered besides Aster saying that her father was mad at her after she came out as bisexual and didn't even look at her, now. It took all of Paul's tight grip on her shoulders and Aster's vulnerable expression for her to not go chase after Aster's father and give him a piece of her mind. Ellie had thought about saying something after that, after Paul had gone for his shift and it was just the both of them, gazing up at the stars as the sky slowly darkened around them, sitting at the edge of the train tracks and feeling immortal, or something close to it. 

But there had been something on her eyes then, something that told Ellie it wasn't time, not yet. Instead, she had launched into a story about something inconsequential, knowing that it wouldn't cover up the enormity of what Ellie was feeling, this sense that she belonged anywhere, as long as Aster was by her side.

Aster had always been good at reading her, even before Ellie had told her it wasn't Paul, it was her writing the letters all along. The day at the lake was no exception, another thing that made her immortal, another memory that Ellie wanted to cradle in her hands and never let go in case it shattered into a million insignificant pieces. 

But Aster wasn't looking at her, not this time. Her eyes were closed, a slight smile on her face as she listened to Ellie's rambling, face relaxed. 

Aster was good at reading her. But that didn't mean she wanted to read her, not now. 

maybe never. 

Ellie shook her thoughts away and craned her neck to look at her father, who determinedly stayed at the window, looking out with a curious expression on his face. 

"Is it Paul or Aster?" she asked. Her father slowly turned back towards her, the curious expression still on his face. 

"This Paul… he's not your boyfriend, is he?" he asked in Mandarin, face tugging into a smile as she huffed in response. "We went over this, years ago, Dad. We're just friends."

"Aster's your girlfriend, then," he said more than asked, and Ellie froze in panic. She couldn't say _no_ , she didn't know exactly where she and Aster were going, but she couldn't say _yes_ either since they weren't - and that wasn't even counting whether she wanted to admit to her father she was a lesbian - 

"Not yet," she decided, gaze fixed firmly on his face, on his eyes that surprisingly held no hostility in them, impossibly kind. 

"Aster's here," was all he said in response, and that was all she needed. She stood up, nearly tripping over her own feet, and rushed to the door, a smile on her face as she did. She stopped at the threshold as she heard her father's voice calling out her. 

He was back at his chair and appeared to be gazing at the TV. Ellie wasn't fooled for a second. "Just because it's different doesn't mean I'm any less proud of you. I think your mother would have been, too."

"Thanks, Dad."

"For what?" 

She was still laughing when she met Aster, equipped with her father's truck and a mischievous look in her eyes. Looking at her, the sunlight illuminating her face, and a crooked, genuine smile that was reserved only for her - Ellie couldn't help but think about how she couldn't _not_ be in love, this overwhelming emotion that couldn't be anything else. 

"I might have… borrowed this from my dad," she said, her eyes alight with laughter. Ellie grinned back; her laugh was infectious. "Get on. I think you know where we're going."

"I suppose it's not to pick up Paul from the diner?" Ellie asked, heart pounding. She recognized the road from what felt like a lifetime ago, when Ellie and Aster didn't know what they were feeling, except that it was enormous and heart-wrenching. She tried not to be too obvious staring at Aster, her face filled with a calm assurance, a confidence that Ellie had never seen in her before. 

She supposed being away from Squamish had changed both of them. 

Aster glanced at her laughing face and rolled her eyes. "Yeah, because we're _obviously_ heading that way," she deadpanned. 

"Had to check," Ellie said, her smile growing wider as the truck pulled to a stop beside an unassuming patch of trees she knew all too well. 

Aster seemed determined to make the moment as similar to their last as much as possible, taking out the same radio that she had before. Ellie glanced incredulously between it and Aster, unable to believe that it was working even after all this time. Aster, seeing Ellie's disbelieving look, blushed and mumbled something about _repair_ and _doing nothing nice again_ , before heading into the patch of trees, her feet barely making any sound. 

Ellie, touched, followed her. Her feet, in contrast, were not as soundless as Asters, and Aster laughed as she saw Ellie's discomfited look as she finally entered the grove she considered _theirs,_ no matter who founded it after - or before - them. Maybe those who were there before had thought it was just for _them,_ too. That singularity and plurality, was hard to make sense of, sometimes. 

Aster set the radio on the floor, flicking through random channels until _Tiny Dancer_ began playing. She shrugged and dipped her toes on the water, something challenging in her eyes as she turned around and removed her t-shirt. Ellie did the same, and it was the both of them now, the air filled with _something_ unfulfilled, something that had been yearning to come out of her mouth since they'd first met after nearly three years. 

Ellie smiled, softly, as she got into the water, Aster doing the same. It wasn't the same look she had on before; uncertain, trying to come to terms with the world rushing around her, trying to chase her dreams while also trying to fulfill her father's. 

_She had chosen one, and it was a good look on her,_ Ellie couldn't help but think, glancing sideways at her as she floated on the water, oh so reminiscent of what they used to be. 

_Gravity is matter's response to loneliness,_ she remembered herself saying, not sure why the words made sense to her, made sense to both of them in a way that it made little sense to anyone else before. 

"Do you remember what you said to me, before?" Aster asked, almost as if sensing her thoughts. She didn't need to tell what _before_ was. 

"There's a lot of things I said, before."

"About Paul," Aster sighed into the sky, the trees rustling almost as if they could feel the slight breeze. Aster was an indomitable force, at least to Ellie. Maybe they _did. Oh, how it feels so real, lying here with no one near,_ Elton John was singing on the radio. "You had… feelings for me, and you kept talking about Paul."

"Paul thought he was in love with you, you know," Ellie replied. "I couldn't do that to him."

"You're entirely too selfless for your own good, Ellie Chu."

"Look who's talking," she said back, then hesitated. "Besides, I didn't think my feelings would disappear anytime soon. We had - _have_ all the time in the world."

"We do, don't we?" Aster said conversationally, though Ellie could swear she was trembling. "Having more time doesn't exactly correlate with my plans to kiss you right now."

Ellie almost choked. "I suppose you're well within your rights," she managed, finally. 

When Aster finally, _finally_ kissed Ellie, she was smiling. 

The song had gone from _Tiny Dancer_ to _Piano Man,_ but Ellie didn't care. He had sung a song for them, and she was singing along, moving with the rhythm of Aster's heartbeat like she had done with no-one else. 

**Author's Note:**

> comments and kudos mean everything!  
> follow me on [tumblr!](https://a-sentimental-man.tumblr.com/)


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